FHP: Dolphins' Brian Hartline's case closed

DAVIE — The Florida Highway Patrol has closed its investigation of an early morning July 3 crash involving a pickup truck registered to Miami Dolphins wide receiver Brian Hartline.

Hartline met with two representatives of the FHP on Friday morning at the Dolphins training facility in Davie. Hartline, who was joined by his attorney, Adam Swickle, declined to disclose any further details.

Hartline was cited for a non-moving violation and paid a $115 fine. Officially, the charge was "failure to report a crash as the owner of a vehicle," according to FHP spokesman Sgt. Mark Wysocky.

State Trooper Ted Menner, the lead investigator on the case, joined Wysocky at the meeting with Hartline.

Until Friday the receiver had chosen not to meet with FHP authorities in the wake of the accident in which his 2008 Ford truck crashed into an abandoned 2002 Cadillac Escalade on the side of Interstate 595. The truck was abandoned as well but Hartline claimed it two days later without submitting to an interview with FHP officials.

It remains unclear who was driving Hartline's vehicle at the time of the crash.

Dolphins coach Tony Sparano said Friday he had discussed the matter with Hartline.

"I talked to him," Sparano said. "It's disappointing only in the sense that, from a communication standpoint, I wish we would have done a little bit better job that way. But other than that, that thing really is [put] to bed. He's been issued a traffic citation, paid a fine and the case is closed."